Cinderella Story
by etraytin
Summary: Inauguration Day 2006. Ronna and Cindy are off to the balls, and determined to have a wonderful time.


Author's Note: Today's fic is actually in response to two prompts, because I am just that efficient, and they seemed to fit together so well. ActuallyLorelaiGilmore asked for "The Santos Administration's first inaugural ball (all characters are good characters)," and Anonymous asked "how does Ronna feel being the only gay person in a group that is entirely heterosexual and extremely heteronormative?" If there's anything more heteronormative than an Inaugural Ball in Washington DC, I'm not sure what it would be. Hope you both enjoy the fic!

Feedback is welcome, constructive criticism is welcome. If I am screwing something up or doing something wrong, I'd like to know so I can do better. Writing outside my personal experience is always a little nerve-wracking. :) (Also thank you to Rebecka, who reminded me of the correct date for Inauguration!)

If her heels hadn't been quite so high and quite so skinny, Ronna might have stomped them with impatience as she waited outside the bathroom door. "Come on, we're going to be late! If we don't get there in time to catch the motorcade, we'll be stuck trying to find a taxi on Inauguration Night!"

"I'm almost done!" Cindy called back through the door. "I told you to take your shower earlier, I had to let all the humidity clear out before I could do my stuff. It's not my fault your hair looks great when you just blow-dry it."

"I did more than blow-dry it today," Ronna pouted, reaching up a hand to touch the rhinestone barrettes clipped into her short hair to make it sparkle. She was interrupted as the door opened and her girlfriend stepped out with a swish of silk and the humid scent of flowers. "Wow, you look fantastic."

Cindy beamed at her, any annoyance obviously forgotten in the face of Ronna's astonished appreciation for her long and nearly backless silver gown. "You look pretty fantastic yourself," she told her girlfriend. Ronna's dress was navy blue and studded with rhinestones that made it sparkle under the lights, a less daring cut than Cindy's but still very flattering. "God, I'm nervous. Are you nervous?"

"Well geez, Cin, we're only going to an inaugural ball with the new leader of the free world, who we also helped to put in office, who I am going to be personal secretary to starting tomorrow-"

"You've been his assistant for four years already," Cindy pointed out as they shrugged on their wraps and gathered their purses.

"So completely not the point," Ronna told her. "But I guess the good thing is that we're not expected to go to all eight of the things like the senior staff are. Ma- the President-El- oh my god." She put her face in her hand, carefully so as not to smear her makeup. "The President told me we could go to whichever ones we like, stay with the motorcade or find one where we're comfortable." She opened the front door and headed down the steps of their shared duplex, holding the railing tightly. "Careful on the stairs, they need more salt."

"If it's all the same to the President, I think I might steer clear of the southern states ball, and maybe the armed services ball," Cindy decided, following Ronna down the stairs with ginger steps. They made their way to Ronna's dependable Civic and climbed inside, where Ronna immediately cranked the heat to maximum. "I'm worried it's going to be weird," Cindy admitted. "I mean, I know we're Democrats, and it's not even a conflict of interest with me in the East Wing and you in the West, but what if somebody takes a picture and they make a thing out of this? I don't want to be a thing."

"Hey, Cin, breathe," Ronna encouraged, pulling one hand off the wheel to squeeze Cindy's hand. "When Matt invited me specifically, he invited you specifically too. He likes you, and he knows you helped get him elected. He doesn't expect me to show up tonight with some beard in a tux. We're going to dance and drink and get our pictures taken while we look totally kickass, and if we wind up in the paper tomorrow I'm damn well going to frame it."

Cindy took a deep breath, held it for a five-count, released it. "Okay, I'm good," she promised, giving Ronna's fingers a squeeze before releasing her. "It's just hard to believe this is really happening. The ceremony this afternoon still feels so surreal."

"Tell me about it," Ronna laughed. "I walked into the Oval Office this afternoon and just about had to put my head between my knees. Everybody feels that way right now. Josh sat the whole staff down this afternoon to give us a pep talk about it."

"Oh really?" Cindy looked delighted. "A patented Josh Lyman pep talk? I bet that helped a lot."

"Actually it kind of did," Ronna admitted as she steered the car carefully through the heavy traffic. "He's calmed down a lot in the last couple of weeks, ever since he came back from vacation. I think part of it's just getting back into the White House for him. He acts like it's his home."

"And there's probably the fact that he's getting laid on the regular," Cindy offered. "Donna's looked a lot happier lately too."

"Well yeah, obviously," Ronna laughed. "I cannot even describe how goddamn relieved I was when those two finally hooked up. They were absolutely bleeding unresolved romantic angst all over each other for the entire primary cycle and into the general. It was like 'my god, you're straight, you're not married to other people, presumably neither of you has a debilitating STD, so what the hell is stopping you? Who's even gonna care?'"

"Straight people, go figure," Cindy quipped. Ronna laughed. They made their way through the crowded streets and through the security gate at the White House, still a more than slightly intimidating experience. By the time they'd parked and found their way to the West Lobby, the motorcade was just starting to assemble. Cindy and Ronna hopped into a car with Edie and Lester, who were just as nervous as they were, which somehow made things a little easier. They looked out the windows and made jokes about stopping traffic, and it was all considerably different than being in the campaign motorcade, even towards the end when the Secret Service seemed to be everywhere. That had obviously been just the beginning.

The first ball was all pageantry and ceremony, intimidating and gorgeous in equal parts. Ronna was already surprised by how many people knew her name and face, but she and Cindy were still low-profile enough that they could just slip in and watch the show. Lou and Sam and their dates both attracted attention when they came in, both from political operatives looking for a word and, in Sam's case, just wanting to see how pretty he was up close. Josh and Donna, who were making their first public appearance as matching his-and-hers Chiefs of Staff, were absolutely mobbed the moment they walked in. Ronna would've turned around and run out the door, but the two seasoned political operatives just gave each other a look and began working the room, standing almost back to back like partners in an action movie. They were fine.

Then the President and Mrs. Santos (not Matt and Helen anymore, at least not anywhere outside the Residence, at least not for the next four years) were introduced with trumpets and Hail to the Chief, and there were spotlights and cheering everywhere. The President looked amazing and presidential in his tuxedo, and the First Lady shimmered in an ivory column gown that looked like it was bathed in stars. They waved to the crowd, then the President said a few words to thank everyone for coming out, for voting, for volunteering, for everything they did to make the country great. It was a short but lovely little speech that Sam had agonized over despite that technically not being his job anymore.

After that, it was time for the dance. Ronna sucked in a quick breath of shock when the band played the first few bars of "You Can Leave Your Hat On," and she saw Helen give Matt a sharp look, but then it segued seamlessly into a little postlude as they wound down and allowed Santana's "Everything's Coming Our Way" to play over the loudspeakers. It was a fast song, but the new first couple were excellent dancers, and the crowd was really into it. More cheers and applause greeted the end of the song, and then the dance floor opened for everyone. "Come on," she encouraged Cindy with a laugh, "the sooner we dance, the sooner we have an excuse to kick off our shoes."

Ronna had been to black tie fundraisers a few times during Matt Santos' various campaigns, but they were not a big part of his political image or the way he fundraised. She'd certainly never brought a date to one before. In some ways they were like high school proms done large, but without most of the awkward sexual tension and with an open bar. But tonight, with the music and the designer gown and the woman of her dreams in her arms, it felt like so much more, like being in the middle of the happy ending in a fairy tale.

She'd thought Matt was having a midlife crisis when he'd gone along with an aging Washington wunderkind's plan to make him president. She'd been sure they'd never get out of New Hampshire, but she liked working for Matt and what else was she going to do, sit in the Santos congressional office and read the want ads until the time ran out on his House seat? Josh, of course, had been a nightmare to work for, but luckily she hadn't had to deal with him much. Even then he'd eventually grown on her, once she figured out that he was powered by a high octane blend of insecurity and idealism kept inside an armored shell of loudmouthed arrogance. The entire campaign had been one improbable moment after another, one more bat keeping the balloon in the air just that much longer until suddenly he was the nominee, and suddenly there were stadiums of crowds instead of coffee shops, suddenly there was a plane instead of a converted secondhand RV, and now suddenly they were here on Inauguration Day, and she was dancing. Imagine that.

Cindy tipped her forehead against Ronna's and smiled at her. "Deep thoughts?"

"Not too deep," Ronna assured her. "Just remembering this past year and feeling grateful. Have I ever told you how glad I am that you decided the pay cut to join the campaign was worth it?"

"Maybe a few times," Cindy allowed with a grin. "Pour a couple more glasses of punch into me and I'll take you home and show you."

Ronna laughed and shushed her, glancing around to make sure nobody heard the risque comment. "There's still a lot of night left before we go home, so take it easy on the punch," she reminded Cindy. "We're probably going to be leaving soon, they were talking about maybe forty-five minutes at each place."

"Sounds about right." Cindy looked over Ronna's shoulder, then maneuvered her so they turned while still dancing. "Looks like we might both see a few more peaceful days at work." Off in one corner of the dance floor, Josh and Donna were dancing together, and they might have been the only ones in the room. Faces close together, eyes closed, and Ronna was pretty sure she'd never seen that look of contentment on the perpetually fractious Josh before.

"Well, wonders never cease," Ronna observed with a smile. "This is their third go-around, I guess it's about time they got to enjoy it. Me, I'm going to do it right from the get-go." Leaning in, she wrapped a gentle hand around the back of Cindy's neck and drew her in for a long kiss, mostly genteel, with just a little bit of tongue.. Cindy was more than happy to reciprocate. Lou swept by on the arm of some congressman and told them to get a room, but that was just Lou's way. They broke apart, laughing, and headed arm-in-arm for the food table before they had to go.

The next day, when a picture of Ronna and Cindy kissing did show up in the Washington Times, Ronna felt a little sick to her stomach. But it was a good picture, and she defiantly clipped it out and slapped it into a frame, just like she said she would, and kissed Cindy goodbye before work, just like she always did. Even if anybody was looking, she reminded herself, it was none of their business.

Nobody said anything to her about it all day, though she noticed the senior staffers looking at her when they went in and out of the Oval Office. She tried to remind herself that it was all novelty, and sometimes they were just trying to remember where they were supposed to be going. She resisted the urge to call over to the East Wing and make sure that Cindy was okay. By mid-afternoon, when the President called her into the Oval, she felt a little bit like she had the flu, tense and achy and slightly nauseous.

President Santos smiled at her from behind the huge desk, and she couldn't help but smile back at the sight. He looked entirely right sitting there. "Some parties last night, huh?" he began. "I don't think I'll be able to listen to Everything's Coming Our Way again until I leave office, but them's the breaks."

"Everyone loved the song, sir," Ronna offered with a half smile. "They were great parties."

"Yeah, they were." His voice softened, and her stomach tightened a little further.

"Sir, is there something-"

"I saw a really good picture of you and Cindy this morning," he told her casually. "It was in a crappy paper, but you two looked great. Turns out, when you're the president, you can get all kinds of stuff just by calling out and asking for it." He opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out an eight-by-ten photo. "The photographer was happy to send over an original copy for me. I thought you might like to have it."

Ronna took the picture, feeling the queasiness dissolve as her smile grew. "Wow, yes, thank you!" The picture was even better on glossy photo paper than on newsprint. "Really, thank you so much." She was absolutely not going to shed any tears in the Oval Office, but she could feel them behind her eyes.

"It's no problem," he told her, and she heard the double meaning there. "Lots of people are going to be spending the next four or eight years watching us, and that's okay. We've got nothing to be ashamed of."

"Yes sir," she agreed wholeheartedly. Back at her own desk, she ran her fingers lightly over the picture, then dug out an envelope to keep it safe till the end of the day. As she was sliding it in, she noticed the inscription on the back. " _Ronna and Cindy, thanks for coming all this way with me. Matt Santos, 1-20-2006._ " She smiled as she tucked the photo away. The happy ending had ended happily, and now the new story was beginning.


End file.
